Joe McHugh

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Joe McHugh (born July 16, 1971) is an Irish politician and member of the 22nd Seanad Éireann for Fine Gael. He is spokesperson on Community, Rural, Gaeltacht and Marine Affairs. He was elected by the Administrative Panel in 2002. In July 2005, McHugh married Deputy Olwyn Enright. He is the Fine Gael candidate for Donegal North East in the upcoming general election.

[edit] Background

Joe McHugh began his career as a teacher in the Loreto Convent in Letterkenny. He taught Geography and Mathematics for two years from 1993. In 1995 he went to Dubai for a year teaching A-level economics. In 1996 he was employed jointly by The Donegal Youth Service and the Glenboe Community Action Group in the Ballyboe area of Letterkenny.

[edit] Political Career

Joe McHugh was selected by Fine Gael to run for a Donegal County Council seat in the Milford Electoral area and was elected on 11th June 1999. In 2001, he introduced a motion to Donegal County Council to establish a youth council for the county. This led to the formation of the Donegal Youth Council, the first democratically elected youth forum in Ireland. He has also worked closely with Young Fine Gael, and helped to establish the first branch in the county in March 2004.

Since being elected to the Seanad, he has set up a full-time constituency office in Letterkenny. After being selected as Fine Gael's candidate for the Dáil, he moved into new premises which were officially opened by Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny on 6th October 2006. Deputy Kenny stated that the offices were "the biggest office of any Fine Gael deputy or senator around the country."

[edit] The Coming General Election

Following the absorption of Independent Fianna Fáil and its sole deputy, Niall Blaney into Fianna Fáil in July 2006 and the immediate U-turn by Jim McDaid in announcing his intentions to seek a nomination after having declared that "politics has lost its challenge", McHugh faces an interesting contest in Donegal North East in the next general election. It is unlikely that Fianna Fáil will seek to contest three seats thus opening realistic opportunities for Fine Gael to regain the seat that they lost in 1997.